Track belt



R. H. WHITE TRACK BELT I Filed July 20. 192()v Sept. 9 1924.

,Patented sept. 9, 1924.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROLLIN H. WHITE,

TRACTOR COMPANY,

OHIO, A CORBORATION F OHIO.

TRACK BELT.

Application tiled July 20,

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROLLIN H. WHITE, a citizen of .the United States, residing at Cleveland Heights, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementl in Track Belts, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide for use' on track laying tractors eilicient, durable` and not expensive track belts, made from a plurality of similar pressed metal units or links.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts shown in the drawing and hereinafter described and pointed I .outdefinitely in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Fig. l is a plan view of two pivoted together track belt links, the

top of the rail members of said links being broken away above the joint between said links 'and said joint being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of two pivoted together links; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of suoli links; Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section` in the plane of line 4-4 on Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section in the p ane ofline 5-5 on Fig. 3,'and Fig. 6 is a plan view of one ofsaid links.

Each track belt comprises a shoe 10 which. may have, along its front end, a transversely extended grouser r1 12; and a longitudinally eixtended rail member 15 secured upon said s 10e.

Each rail member is made from sheet metal, which by known methods is pressed and drawn into substantially the shape shown; that is to s ay, each rail'member when finished has a horizontal rail ,plate 20, the function of which is to support the track wheels carried by the tractor, and two rail sides 21 which are turned down from the side edges of said rail plate and have along their lower edges feet 22 which engage and are secured referably by welding to Jthe shoe. At one en of the link, preferably the front end, the rail sides are nearer together than at the other side, and are such distance apart that they will nicely fit between the rail sides at the rear ends of another similar link. Adjacent the front ends of the link sides aligned tubular sleeves 23 are drawn inward, that is, toward each other, said sleeves being integral with the link sides. At their rear ends the link sides are formed with outwardly 1920. serial No. 397,785.

drawn aligned tubular sleeves 24, the internal diameter of which is slightly less than the internal diameter of the sleeves 23. The rail plate at its front end has a portion cut away adj aeent one link side, and at the other end this rail plate is similarly cut away adjacent the other link side, thereby formin the two recesses 27 and 28, these being of suc i width and depth that the uncut away front of adjacent links will comfortably fit therein when the links are assembled and pivoted together as shown, thereby providing a sub- -stantially 'continuous track surface for the track wheels of the tractor. v

In assembling these links to make a track belt, a sleeve 29 is fitted info the two sleeves 23, bridging the space between them. Then the front ends of the rail sides of one link` are placed between the rear ends of the rail sides of an adjacentl link and the tubular sleeves on said two links are brought into.

axial alignment. When the sleeves of the two links have been brought into alignment, as stated, a pintle pin 30 is passed through the outwardly directed sleeves 24 and the sleeve 29, being fitted thereto, thereby pivotally connecting the two links. This pm is retained in place by cotter pins 31 which pass through its project-ing ends and these cotter pins also project in'to notches 24 in the ends of the sleeves 24, whereby the rotation of the pintle pin in sleeves 24 is prevented. Rollers 33 are rotatably fitted upon the outwardly projecting sleeves 24, the said cotter pins holding them on.

It will be understood that in this precise construction as shown a `double sprocket oF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, omo, AssIGNoB. 'ro THE CLEVELAND or EUCLID,

wheel will be used, one set of sprocket teeth engaging one roller 33 and the other engaging the other rollers 33.

Having described my .claim 1. A' track belt unit comprising, in combination, a shoe, and a rail member secured'thereon formed of a single piece of sheet metal, said rail member comprising a horizontal rail plate and two integral longitudinally extended sides which are bent downward from said rail plate and are secured to said shoe,-said rail sides havin near one `end of the link outwardly exten ed aligned tubular sleeves and near the other end of the aligned tubular sleeves of larger diame ter,- he ends of the rail sides which carry invention, l

link inwardly extended the inwardly directed sleeves being nearer and two integral longitudinally extendedvertical sides which are bent downward from said rail plate and having horizontal feet which rest upon `and are secured to said shoe, said rail sides having near one end of the link outwardly extended aligned tubular sleeves and having near the other end of the link' inwardly extended aligned tubular sleeves of larger diameter,the ends of the rail sides which carry the inwardly directed sleeves being nearer together than are the opposite ends of said rail sides, and a sleeve which is fitted into and bridges the space between the inwardly directed sleeves. y

3. A track belt comprising a plurality of similar ivoted together units each comprising a s oe, and a rail member which is formed with `a longitudinally extended hor? izontal rail plate and rail sides which are bent down from lthe side edges of said rail plate and are fixed to said shoe, said rail plates being farther apart at one end of the unit than at the other whereby the two rail sides of one unit may roject between the two raii sides of the adjacent unit, the rail sides of each unit near thek ends thereof which are most widely separated having outwardly extended integral aligned sleeves,

and having near their other ends inwardly extended integral aligned sleeves which are of larger diameter than the outwradly extended sleeves, the ends of said rail sides which are nearest together on one link being inserted between the widely separated ends the outwardly directedsleeves of the other' link,

. 4. A track belt comprising. a plurality of similar pivoted together units each comprising a shoe and a rail member which is formed with a longitudinally extended horizontal rail plate and rail sides which are bent down from the aide edges of said rail plate and are fixed to said shoe, said rail sides being farther apart at one end of the unit than at the other whereby the two rail sides of one unit may project between the two rail sides of the' adjacent unit, the rail sides of each unit near the ends thereof which are most widely separated having outwardly extended integral aligned sleeves and having near their other ends inwardly extended integral aligned sleeves which are of larger diameter than the outwardly extended sleeves, the ends of said rail sides which are nearest together on one link being inserted between the widely separated ends of the adjacent link with the inwardly directed sleeves on one link axially aligned with the outwardly directed sleeves of the other link, a sleeve which is fitted into and bridges the space between the inwardly di rected sleeves on one link, a pintle pin passn ing through said sleeve and through the outwardly directed sleeves of the other link and means to preventA the rotation of said pin relatively to the outwardly directed sleeves.

in testimony whereof, I hereunto alix my signature.

ROLLIN H. TE. 

